Did you drive or fly to one of the cities along the route for observing total solar eclipse? Did you avoid the crowd by watching live stream for the event, or were you simply oblivious of the Total Solar Eclipse event today? There were so many people trying to reserve for flights to one of the cities along the route of total solar eclipse above that a coach plane ticket between DFW (Dallas Fort Worth) to Nashville costed $6000 last week. Hotel rooms were quickly running out that all of the hotel rooms along this route were fully booked last week that the last single room was going for $6000 for 4 nights at Oregon State University area. This is the only reason that I am reporting the event from Florida rather than Oregon State University today. The next total solar eclipse in the USA will be on April 8, 2024, only 2422 days away. The next total solar eclipse outside of the USA will be on July 2, 2019, with the path of totality running through South American countries such as Chile and Argentina, according to NASA. If you missed today’s event, perhaps you’ll be interested in one of these two future events.

Historically, some of the total solar eclipses at:

October 22, 2134 B.C.: one of the earliest recorded solar eclipse appeared in Shu Ching, an ancient Chinese book of documents. The ancient Chinese believed that a solar eclipse was the result of a large dragon eating the Sun. It was the job of two royal astronomers Hsi and Ho to predict such events so that people could prepare bows and arrows to fend off the dragon. But Hsi and Ho shirked their duties and got drunk, so they were beheaded by the emperor.

May 28, 585 B.C.: A total solar eclipse brought about an unexpected ceasefire between two warring nations, the Lydians and the Medes, fighting for control of Anatolia (modern day Turkey) for five years, according to ancient Greek historian Herodotus. During the Battle of Halys, aka Battle of the Eclipse, the sky suddenly turned dark as the sun disappeared behind the moon. Interpreting this inexplicable phenomenon as a sign that the gods wanted the conflict to end, the soldiers put down their weapon and negotiated for a truce.

29-32 A.D.: Christian gospels say the sky darkened after the crucifixion of Jesus. It is possible that the event may have coincided with a solar eclipse. Historians have tried to pinpoint the death of Jesus, using astronomical records of solar eclipse in the years 29 C.E. or 32 C.E.

May 5, 840: Louis the Pious, the third son of Charlemagne, inherited a vast empire in what is modern day France after his father died in 814. His reign was marked by dynastic crisis and rivalry between his sons. Being a deeply religious man, Louis became terrified of punishment from God after witnessing a solar eclipse. According to the legend, he died of fright shortly afterward.

May 29, 1919: Sir Arthur Eddington tested Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity during a total solar eclipse. Einstein had theorized that massive objects caused distortions in space and time. Eddington confirmed that starlight bent around the sun by measuring the position of certain stars relative to the eclipse.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon completely covers the Sun’s disk, as seen in this 1999 solar eclipse. Solar prominences can be seen along the limb (in red) as well as extensive coronal filaments.(Photo Attribution: I, Luc Viatour, Presented at: WindermereSun.com)

(Please click on red links & note magenta)

How many of you had “observing a Total Solar Eclipse” on your bucket list? It was in totality only within a band across the entire contiguous United States ( covering: Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina). The last time a total solar eclipse was visible across the entire contiguous United States was during the June 8, 1918 eclipse.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon’s apparent diameter is larger than the Sun’s, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth’s surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometers wide. This eclipse is the 22nd of the 77 members of Saros series 145, which also produced thesolar eclipse of August 11, 1999. Members of this series are increasing in duration. The longest eclipse in this series will occur on June 25, 2522 and last for 7 minutes and 12 seconds.

The total eclipse will have a magnitude of 1.0306 and will be visible from a narrow corridor through the United States. It will be first seen from land in the US shortly after 10:15 a.m. PDT at Oregon’s Pacific coast, and then it will progress eastward through Salem, OR, Casper, WY, Lincoln, NE, Kansas City, Nashville, TN, Columbia, SC, and finally Charleston, SC. Total Solar Eclipse will darken skies all the way from Oregon to South Carolina, along a stretch of land about 70 miles (113 kilometers) wide. People who descend upon this “path of totality” for the big event are in for an unforgettable experience. A partial eclipse will be seen for a greater time period, beginning shortly after 9:00 a.m. PDT along the Pacific Coast of Oregon.

The August 2017 eclipse will be the first with a path of totality crossing the US’s Pacific coast and Atlantic coast since 1918. Also, its path of totality makes landfall exclusively within the United States, making it the first such eclipse since the country’s independence in 1776. (The path of totality of the eclipse of June 13, 1257, was the last to make landfall exclusively on lands currently part of the US.

If you are interested in observing this event (total Solar Eclipse), below, in italics, is excerpt from “Eye Safety During Solar Eclipses” from NASA:

The Sun can be viewed safely with the naked eye only during the few brief seconds or minutes of a total solar eclipse. Partial eclipses, annular eclipses, and the partial phases of total eclipses are never safe to watch without taking special precautions. Even when 99% of the Sun’s surface is obscured during the partial phases of a total eclipse, the remaining photospheric crescent is intensely bright and cannot be viewed safely without eye protection [Chou, 1981; Marsh, 1982]. Do not attempt to observe the partial or annular phases of any eclipse with the naked eye. Failure to use appropriate filtration may result in permanent eye damage or blindness!

Generally, the same equipment, techniques and precautions used to observe the Sun outside of eclipse are required for annular eclipses and the partial phases of total eclipses [Reynolds & Sweetsir, 1995; Pasachoff & Covington, 1993; Pasachoff & Menzel, 1992; Sherrod, 1981]. The safest and most inexpensive of these methods is by projection, in which a pinhole or small opening is used to cast the image of the Sun on a screen placed a half-meter or more beyond the opening. Projected images of the Sun may even be seen on the ground in the small openings created by interlacing fingers, or in the dappled sunlight beneath a leafy tree. Binoculars can also be used to project a magnified image of the Sun on a white card, but you must avoid the temptation of using these instruments for direct viewing.

The Sun can be viewed directly only when using filters specifically designed for this purpose. Such filters usually have a thin layer of aluminum, chromium or silver deposited on their surfaces that attenuates ultraviolet, visible, and infrared energy. One of the most widely available filters for safe solar viewing is a number 14 welder’s glass, available through welding supply outlets. More recently, aluminized mylar has become a popular, inexpensive alternative. Mylar can easily be cut with scissors and adapted to any kind of box or viewing device. A number of sources for solar filters are listed below. No filter is safe to use with any optical device (i.e. – telescope, binoculars, etc.) unless it has been specifically designed for that purpose. Experienced amateur and professional astronomers may also use one or two layers of completely exposed and fully developed black-and-white film, provided the film contains a silver emulsion. Since all developed color films lack silver, they are always unsafe for use in solar viewing.

Unsafe filters include color film, some non-silver black and white film, medical x-ray films with images on them, smoked glass, photographic neutral density filters and polarizing filters. Solar filters designed to thread into eyepieces which are often sold with inexpensive telescopes are also dangerous. They should not be used for viewing the Sun at any time since they often crack from overheating. Do not experiment with other filters unless you are certain that they are safe. Damage to the eyes comes predominantly from invisible infrared wavelengths. The fact that the Sun appears dark in a filter or that you feel no discomfort does not guarantee that your eyes are safe. Avoid all unnecessary risks. Your local planetarium or amateur astronomy club is a good source for additional information.

In spite of these precautions, the total phase (and only the total phase) of an eclipse can and should be viewed without filters. It is crucial that you know when to take off and put back on your glasses; see Eye safety during a total solar eclipse

Two spectacular events signal the boundaries of totality: appearance of the diamond effect and Baily’s beads.

Diamond Ring of the Total Solar Eclipse, last bit of corona ring and last flash of the sun give us the “diamond ring” effect (presented at WindermereSun.com , with the help of NASA)

Diamond Ring: it is a product of the final moments of the pre-totality partial phases and their post-totality resurgence.

Baily’s Beads: Sir Edmund Halley is credited with observing the first Baily’s beads during the eclipse of April 22, 1715. They were also observed by Maclaurin from Edinburgh during the annular eclipse of March 1, 1737 and by Williams from Revolutionary War America on October 27, 1780 from just outside of the totality. But it was Francis Baily’s widely disseminated description of the phenomenon during the annular eclipse of May 15, 1836, that led to their bearing his name thereafter. It was explained by Baily that shortly before second contact of a total eclipse, the opposing horns of the slender crescent sun begin to converge on one another. At the same time, the tenuous solar atmosphere becomes visible against the darkening sky, shining out around the edge of the moon where the sun has already been covered. The combination of this “ring” of light and the single brilliant “diamond” of sunlight where the horns are converging creates a most striking appearance, the diamond ring. The effect lasts for a very short time. Soon the horns of the solar crescent close completely, and the diamond ring begins to break up, to be replaced by an array of brilliant beads of sunlight caused by the sun shining through valleys and depressions on the moon’s leading limb.

Idaho

Wyoming

Casper, Wyoming – The Astronomical League, an alliance of amateur astronomy clubs, will hold its annual Astrocon conference, and there will be other public events, called Wyoming Eclipse Festival 2017.

Georgia

Rabun County, Georgia – Multiple events occur across Rabun County, including the OutASight Total Solar Eclipse Viewing Party with astronomers from Georgia State University. Other events will be held at Tallulah Gorge State Park, Black Rock Mountain State Park, and other locations in the county.

Europe

In northwestern Europe, the eclipse will only be visible as a partial eclipse, in the evening or at sunset. Only Iceland, Ireland and Scotland will see the eclipse from beginning to end; in the rest of the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal, sunset will occur before the end of the eclipse. In Germany, the beginning of the eclipse will be potentially visible just at sunset only in the extreme northwest of the country. In all regions east of the orange line in the map, the eclipse will be invisible.

(Please click on red links & note magenta)

As I’ve promised some of our readers, I will try to cover as much of the Space X launches, as often as possible!

For those of you who are not as familiar with Space X, Space X designs, manufacturers and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. It was founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology by Elon Musk, with the ultimate goal of enabling human/earthlings to live on other planets.

For my solar and sustainable living friends, yes, I believe one of the components of sustainability of earthlings is space exploration. So, I also have friends and readers from this area and intend to also cover news and information about our space travel, space technology, and inter-galatic intrigues.Space X launched the delivery mission on Monday, August 14, 2017, on a Falcon 9 rocket. The CRS-12 Dragon spacecraft was launched by a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Monday, August 14, 2017, at 12:31 EDT (16:31 UTC). The mission is sending a robotic Dragon cargo capsule on its way to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA.

About eight minutes after the launch, the first stage of the two-stage Falcon 9 came back to earth, touching down at Space X’s “Landing Zone 1” at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, sitting next door to Kennedy Space Center.

On Wednesday, August 16, 2017, at 6:52 am EDT (10:52 UTC), the uncrewed Dragon Spacecraft was captured by astronauts using International Space Station’s robotic arm-Canadarm2, as the two spacecraft were flying over the Pacific Ocean, just north of New Zealand. The Dragon cargo ship was filled with more than 6,400 lbs (2,900 kg) of supplies, science experiments and food and yes ice cream for the space station’s Expedition 52 crew. After the successful delivery and receiving the “Congratulations on a job well done,” message from astronaut Andreas Morgenson of the European Space Agency being radioed to the station’s crew from NASA’s Mission Control in Houston.Below, U.S. Commercial Cargo Craft (Dragon Spacecraft) arrives at the International Space Station:

Video was taken back in 2012, of the Hatch Opening Between Dragon & ISS (International Space Station), below:

Space X so far has 14 such rocket landings and the company has reflown two landed boosters to date. It is the goal of the company and Elon Musk to develop fully and rapidly reusable systems in order to dramatically reduce the cost of space exploration.

For a view of the International Space Station and how it works, here is a HD documentary of tour inside the International Space Station (ISS) shown by NASA Astronaut Sunita (Suni) Williams. She describes how the station is divided into two pressurized modules, floating to each as she demonstrates scientific instruments, brushes teeth, drinks water and using the bathroom, all in zero gravity. Sunita “Suni” Williams is an American astronaut of Indian-Slovenian descent holding several spacewalking records by a woman, below:

If you think this is pretty cool, enjoy exploring, and like math and sciences, you may like to consider becoming an astronaut some day and/or join the Planetary Society or at Planetary Society!
Gathered, written, and posted by Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker

Audience and speakers at the Florida Climate Summit Orlando 2017 (presented at WindermereSun.com)

(Please click on red links & note magenta)

For those of you who were not able to attend The Florida Climate Summit-Beyond Paris: Taking Local Action in Florida (at East End Market, 3201 Corrine Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, 10:00 am-4:00 pm EDT, Aug. 12, 2017), as part of the Climate Reality Project, but are quite interested in taking part in the future, I’ve managed to have finished uploading the video just today and will be sharing them in this post.

Reason for the event: now that the Trump Administration has pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord, it is up to the states, cities, and businesses to continue the efforts to solve the climate crisis. This summit was an opportunity to bring together various environmental groups across Florida to share their projects so we can assist one another.

Topics of discussion were:

How to move cities to taking the 100% renewable pledge

Banning fracking

Pricing carbon at the national level

Rooftop solar power in Florida

The speakers and organizations that are involved are:

Chris Castro, Keynote Speaker and Sustainability Director, City of Orlando

Chris Castro presents various projects that’s been established in City of Orlando, such as:

Smart Buildings : The City of Orlando has been awarded two Smart Cities awards and is currently pursuing a variety of additional funding opportunities for Smart Cities initiatives that would assist us in enhancing transportation citywide and beyond. In these pursuits, we are continuing to move forward with building a data-driven infrastructure that will support safer, cleaner and more efficient travel and an improved quality of life for our community.

Orlando Pace Program: the City of Orlando now provides a new set of financial tools to home and business owners to help them lower their utility bills and make our buildings more energy and water efficient through the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program. PACE removes the barriers of high upfront costs and provides low-interest financing to help residents and business owners looking to modernize, mitigate wind damage and improve the energy and water efficiency of their property.

Orlando’s Building Energy & Water Efficiency Strategy (BEWES): BEWES calls on existing commercial, institutional and multi-family buildings larger than 50,000 square feet to track whole-building energy use, report to the City annually and make their information transparent to the real estate marketplace. The policy covers less than five percent of Orlando’s buildings, which account for nearly 50 percent of total energy and water used by all buildings citywide.

(Please click on red links & note magenta)

As China continues to grow and develop, energy and pollution are important incentives for China to steer toward the renewables at a lightening pace. As solar generation becomes cost-competitive with electricity from fossil fuels, China rolls out the world’s biggest investment in clean energy.

One of the energy firms in China, Panda Green Energy Group Limited (formerly known as the “United Photovoltaics Group Limited”), has come up with an aesthetically pleasing way to promote the development of solar energy by arranging solar panels at a solar farm to resemble the image of China’s national treasure, the panda. Panda Green Energy’s panda solar power plant in a city of Datong in northern Chinese province Shanxi, with capacity of 100 MW once fully connected (some estimated that in 25 years, it would have generated 3.2 billion KWh, reduced 2.74 million tons of carbon emissions or 1.06 million tons of coal throughout China). The solar panda was constructed in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in tackling the problem of need for renewable energy in China. In June of 2017, Panda Green Energy Group Limited announced that its first panda shaped solar power plant (of 50 MW covering 248 acres, with the black part composed of the more efficient monocrystalline silicone and the grey and white part being the thin film solar cells) was officially connected to the grid in Datong, Shanxi.

This panda solar park is set to become a national monument and home to an education center aiming to teach young people from all over China about the importance of renewable energy and sustainable living. According to Reuters, Panda Green Energy is planning on launching more panda-shaped power plants (some estimate about 100 panda-shaped solar power plants), both inside and outside of China.

Elon Musk has followed through with his promise to solve the growing energy crisis in South Australia in 100 days! Tesla (TSLA) cofounder and energy division head Lyndon Rive boldly claimed, back in March of 2017, that he would commit to installing the 100-300 megawatt hours of battery required to prevent the increasingly frequent blackouts of South Australia within 100 days. He said the company could do the same in Victoria, where the closure of the 1600 MW Hazelwood coal plant in March was raising more fears of increasing blackouts across the eastern states electricity market next summer, following a near blackout in NSW on February 10 after an unexpected spike in demand due to a heat wave. Musk upped the ante by not only backing Rive’s claim but also insisting that if the 100 MWh of battery system would not be installed within 100-day window, he (Musk) would offer the service completely free of charge. When the billionaire-entrepreneur Mike Cannon-Brookes asked Musk in March, if Tesla was serious when it claimed it could quickly end blackouts in South Australia,”Tesla will get the system installed and working 100 days from contract signature or it is free. That serious enough for you?” Musk tweeted at the time.

Tweets to Elon Musk from Australia (presented at WindermereSun.com)

To solve South Australia’s energy crisis, Tesla (TSLA) has teamed up with French renewable energy firm Neoen and an Australian state government (with a South Australian company CPP doing the ground work) to install the world’s largest lithium ion battery farm. Paired up with Neoen’s existing Hornsdale Wind Farm in the state of South Australia, near Jamestown, north of Adelaide, the battery farm will have three times the capacity as the next biggest in the world. South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill said this extraordinary collaboration would deliver a grid-scale battery that would “stabilize the South Australian network as well as putting downward pressure on prices. Battery storage is the future of our national energy market, and the eyes of the world will be following our leadership in this space.” The project is intended to sustain 100 MW of power and store 129 MWh, being able to power about 30,000 homes, according to Tesla. The project is currently slated for completion by December to harness the existing Hornsdale Wind Farm to charge the mega-battery while the wind is blowing and discharge power when it is most needed. Musk commented, “It’s a fundamental efficiency improvement to the power grid, and it’s really quite necessary and quite obvious considering a renewable energy future.” In essence, by storing renewable (wind and solar) energy during off-peak hours and then discharging that energy during peak hours, utility companies are able to cut costs, improve reliability and resiliancy, and reduce reliance on non-renewable energy sources.

Tesla was able to beat the other 91 international bidders for this project. It is understandable, for the company has made substantial progress in the utility front since introducing Powerwall and Powerpack about two years ago. Tesla now supplies energy to the Hawaiian Island of Kauai using a large solar energy plant running on the Powerpack technology. Medium size businesses are also turning to Tesla tech for energy storage, including the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Southern California Edison’s Mira Loma substation in Ontario, California powering 15,000 homes. So, while the South Australia project may have an ambitious timetable, Tesla’s impressive resume suggests that the 100-day goal should not be a problem for Tesla.

tweets to Elon Musk from Ukraine (presented at WindermereSun.com)

In the meantime, rumor has it that citizens from other countries have also taken to social media to ask Musk for help. A user by the same of @5AllanLeVito asked Musk to bring a similar project to Ukraine, above. Musk’s response “Sure”, and laid out the cost. New Zealand and others may soon to follow. Thank goodness for new technology Twitter: much will be accomplished within much shorter period of time! Hurray for the renewable future! Hurray for America’s adopted son, Elon Musk, in his progress/effort in saving our planet earth!

Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,

(Please click on red links & note magenta)

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon completely covers the Sun’s disk, as seen in this 1999 solar eclipse. Solar prominences can be seen along the limb (in red) as well as extensive coronal filaments.(Photo Attribution: I, Luc Viatour, Presented at: WindermereSun.com)

(Please click on red links & note magenta)

How many of you have “observing a Total Solar Eclipse” on your bucket list? Did you know that a total solar eclipse will occur on Monday, August 21, 2017? It will be visible in totality only within a band across the entire contiguous United States ( covering: Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina). The last time a total solar eclipse was visible across the entire contiguous United States was during the June 8, 1918 eclipse.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon’s apparent diameter is larger than the Sun’s, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth’s surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometers wide. This eclipse is the 22nd of the 77 members of Saros series 145, which also produced thesolar eclipse of August 11, 1999. Members of this series are increasing in duration. The longest eclipse in this series will occur on June 25, 2522 and last for 7 minutes and 12 seconds.

The total eclipse will have a magnitude of 1.0306 and will be visible from a narrow corridor through the United States. It will be first seen from land in the US shortly after 10:15 a.m. PDT at Oregon’s Pacific coast, and then it will progress eastward through Salem, OR, Casper, WY, Lincoln, NE, Kansas City, Nashville, TN, Columbia, SC, and finally Charleston, SC. Total Solar Eclipse will darken skies all the way from Oregon to South Carolina, along a stretch of land about 70 miles (113 kilometers) wide. People who descend upon this “path of totality” for the big event are in for an unforgettable experience. A partial eclipse will be seen for a greater time period, beginning shortly after 9:00 a.m. PDT along the Pacific Coast of Oregon.

The August 2017 eclipse will be the first with a path of totality crossing the US’s Pacific coast and Atlantic coast since 1918. Also, its path of totality makes landfall exclusively within the United States, making it the first such eclipse since the country’s independence in 1776. (The path of totality of the eclipse of June 13, 1257, was the last to make landfall exclusively on lands currently part of the US.

If you are interested in observing this event (total Solar Eclipse), below, in italics, is excerpt from “Eye Safety During Solar Eclipses” from NASA:

The Sun can be viewed safely with the naked eye only during the few brief seconds or minutes of a total solar eclipse. Partial eclipses, annular eclipses, and the partial phases of total eclipses are never safe to watch without taking special precautions. Even when 99% of the Sun’s surface is obscured during the partial phases of a total eclipse, the remaining photospheric crescent is intensely bright and cannot be viewed safely without eye protection [Chou, 1981; Marsh, 1982]. Do not attempt to observe the partial or annular phases of any eclipse with the naked eye. Failure to use appropriate filtration may result in permanent eye damage or blindness!

Generally, the same equipment, techniques and precautions used to observe the Sun outside of eclipse are required for annular eclipses and the partial phases of total eclipses [Reynolds & Sweetsir, 1995; Pasachoff & Covington, 1993; Pasachoff & Menzel, 1992; Sherrod, 1981]. The safest and most inexpensive of these methods is by projection, in which a pinhole or small opening is used to cast the image of the Sun on a screen placed a half-meter or more beyond the opening. Projected images of the Sun may even be seen on the ground in the small openings created by interlacing fingers, or in the dappled sunlight beneath a leafy tree. Binoculars can also be used to project a magnified image of the Sun on a white card, but you must avoid the temptation of using these instruments for direct viewing.

The Sun can be viewed directly only when using filters specifically designed for this purpose. Such filters usually have a thin layer of aluminum, chromium or silver deposited on their surfaces that attenuates ultraviolet, visible, and infrared energy. One of the most widely available filters for safe solar viewing is a number 14 welder’s glass, available through welding supply outlets. More recently, aluminized mylar has become a popular, inexpensive alternative. Mylar can easily be cut with scissors and adapted to any kind of box or viewing device. A number of sources for solar filters are listed below. No filter is safe to use with any optical device (i.e. – telescope, binoculars, etc.) unless it has been specifically designed for that purpose. Experienced amateur and professional astronomers may also use one or two layers of completely exposed and fully developed black-and-white film, provided the film contains a silver emulsion. Since all developed color films lack silver, they are always unsafe for use in solar viewing.

Unsafe filters include color film, some non-silver black and white film, medical x-ray films with images on them, smoked glass, photographic neutral density filters and polarizing filters. Solar filters designed to thread into eyepieces which are often sold with inexpensive telescopes are also dangerous. They should not be used for viewing the Sun at any time since they often crack from overheating. Do not experiment with other filters unless you are certain that they are safe. Damage to the eyes comes predominantly from invisible infrared wavelengths. The fact that the Sun appears dark in a filter or that you feel no discomfort does not guarantee that your eyes are safe. Avoid all unnecessary risks. Your local planetarium or amateur astronomy club is a good source for additional information.

In spite of these precautions, the total phase (and only the total phase) of an eclipse can and should be viewed without filters. It is crucial that you know when to take off and put back on your glasses; see Eye safety during a total solar eclipse

Idaho

Wyoming

Casper, Wyoming – The Astronomical League, an alliance of amateur astronomy clubs, will hold its annual Astrocon conference, and there will be other public events, called Wyoming Eclipse Festival 2017.

Georgia

Rabun County, Georgia – Multiple events occur across Rabun County, including the OutASight Total Solar Eclipse Viewing Party with astronomers from Georgia State University. Other events will be held at Tallulah Gorge State Park, Black Rock Mountain State Park, and other locations in the county.

Europe

In northwestern Europe, the eclipse will only be visible as a partial eclipse, in the evening or at sunset. Only Iceland, Ireland and Scotland will see the eclipse from beginning to end; in the rest of the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal, sunset will occur before the end of the eclipse. In Germany, the beginning of the eclipse will be potentially visible just at sunset only in the extreme northwest of the country. In all regions east of the orange line in the map, the eclipse will be invisible.

Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,

(Please click on red links & note magenta)

With the Florida Sun, low cost of solar and improved battery technology, even without pro-solar policies such as renewable portfolio standard or power purchase agreements, Florida currently ranks 12th for cumulative solar capacity installed and is expected to continue to advance its position in light of the dramatic drop in cost of solar and improved battery technology.

Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center: It is the solar parabolic-trough component of an integrated solar combined cycle 1150 MW plant, in western Martin County, Florida, just north of Indiantown, built by Florida Power & Light Company in 2010, with enough electricity to power 8,216 homes.

Several large retailers in Florida have gone solar: 6th Street, Ace Hardware, Bronson and AMJ, Inc., General Growth Properties had installed one of the largest solar installations with 1 MW of solar capacity at their Altamonte Springs location.

TIA Solar in Tampa also installed 1 MW of solar capacity in 2016, among the largest solar installations in Florida, with capacity to power more than 175 homes.

Florida State Solar Policy Resources, below:

Florida Public Service Commission-(FPSC) regulates investor-owned electric, natural gas, water, and wastewater utilities. In the telecommunications industry, the FPSC facilitates competitive markets, has authority over intercarrier disputes, and oversees pay telephones, the federal Lifeline Assistance Program and Telecommunications Relay Service. The Florida Public Service Commission consists of ﬁve members appointed by the Governor and conﬁrmed by the Senate. Commissioners serve four-year terms. One commissioner is a designated Chairman, elected by the Commission for a two-year term.The commissioners are Chairman Julie I. Brown, Ronald A. Brisé, Art Graham, Jimmy Patronis, and Donald Polmann. In essence, FPSC learn about the governing body that regulates electricity rates and services of Florida Public Utilities.

Florida State Legislature-It is the two houses that act as the state legislatureof theU.S. state of Florida. TheFlorida Constitution states that “The legislative power of the state shall be vested in a legislature of the State of Florida,” composed of a Senate and House of Representatives. The legislature is seated at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee. Both chambers have been under Republican control since 1996. The Legislature is composed of 160 state legislators (120 in the House and 40 in the Senate). Members are term-limited to eight consecutive years; however, there is no limit on the total number of terms (after sitting out two years, a member may run again). The state legislature meets beginning in March for a period not to exceed 60 calendar days. Special sessions are called as needed. In essence, FSL track pending legislation affecting solar energy, locate and contact individual legislators, and stay up to date on current legislative issues in Florida.

Florida Energy System Consortium-The Florida Energy Systems Consortium (FESC) was created by the Florida State government to promote collaboration among the energy experts at its 12 supported universities to share energy-related expertise. The consortium assists the state in the development and implementation of an environmentally compatible, sustainable, and efficient energy strategic plan. The Consortium was charged to ‘perform research and development on innovative energy systems that lead to alternative energy strategies, improved energy efficiencies, and expanded economic development for the state‘. The legislature appropriated funding for research at five of the universities as well as support for education, outreach, and technology commercialization. The Consortium reports to and provides guidance on an as needed basis to the Florida Legislature, Executive Office of the Governor, and the Florida’s Office of Energy housed in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. In essence, it assists the state in development and implementation of an environmentally compatible, sustainable, and efficient energy strategic plan.

In March of 2017, according to a new U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) report, ten percent of all of the electricity generated in United States came from wind and solar power. This milestone demonstrates that renewable energy are becoming significant source of electricity in U.S. and no longer need to be classified as “alternative” energy. Texas is the biggest wind power producer while California is the largest solar producer in USA.

Below, in italics, is taken from EIA report on June 14, 2017)

For the first time, monthly electricity generation from wind and solar (including utility-scale plants and small-scale systems) exceeded 10% of total electricity generation in the United States, based on March data in EIA’s Electric Power Monthly. Electricity generation from both of these energy sources has grown with increases in wind and solar generating capacity. On an annual basis, wind and solar made up 7% of total U.S. electric generation in 2016.

Electricity generation from wind and solar follows seasonal patterns that reflect the seasonal availability of wind and sunshine. Within the United States, wind patterns vary based on geography. For example, wind-powered generating units in Texas, Oklahoma, and nearby states often have their highest output in spring months, while wind-powered generators in California are more likely to have their highest output in summer months.

Monthly solar output is highest in the summer months, regardless of location, because of the greater number of daylight hours. About half of all utility-scale solar power plants in the United States use some form of sun-tracking technology to improve their seasonal output.

Based on seasonal patterns in recent years, electricity generation from wind and solar will probably exceed 10% of total U.S. generation again in April 2017, then fall to less than 10% in the summer months. Since 2014, when EIA first began estimating monthly, state-level electricity generation from small-scale solar photovoltaic systems, combined wind and solar generation has reached its highest level in either the spring or fall. Because these seasons are times of generally low electricity demand, combined wind and solar generation also reached its highest share of the U.S. total during these times of year.

Based on annual data for 2016, Texas accounted for the largest total amount of wind and solar electricity generation. Nearly all of this generation was from wind, as Texasgenerates more wind energy than any other state. As a share of the state’s total electricity generation, wind and solar output was highest in Iowa, where wind and solar made up 37% of electricity generation in 2016. In addition to Iowa, wind and solar provided at least 20% of 2016 electricity generation in six other states.

In almost all states, wind makes up a larger share of the state’s total electricity generation than solar. Among the top dozen states, only California and Arizona had more solar generation than wind in 2016. Three states in the top 12—Iowa, Kansas, and North Dakota—had no generation from utility-scale solar plants in 2016 and relatively little output from small-scale solar photovoltaic systems.

EIA analyst Owen Comstock said state renewable goals are one of the biggest reasons how wind and solar are able to reach this milestone. Most states require a certain portion of their electricity to be generated from renweables. States such as California is currently setting its goal to obtain 50% of its electricity from renewables by 2030, and lawmakers in CA are debating about the possibility of expanding that to 100% by 2045.

For those of us in Florida, even without with any government incentive or mandate, due to the dramatic dropping of cost in solar and wind, as long as we pay attention and take actions, we will be on our way to hit the 100% renewables goal before 2045. Based on SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association), Floridians have installed 725.1 MW solar by 2016 (404.7 MW was installed in 2016). More will be provided in the next post.

Photographed, gathered, written, and posted by Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker
More about the community at www.WindermereSun.com

After a week of reporting on Trump affairs, I really have to thank Dave Finnigan (of jugglingedge.com) for bringing to my attention a much more refreshing topic, a solar powered, quiet, clean, and efficient mass transit system, developed by Transit X.

Can you envision our future world, where commuters would have access to wait-free, pollution-free, and accidents-free commute, 24/7 available, autopiloted within cities, beside highways, and along rail corridors? It is a privately-funded surface transportation network with the convenience, capacity, and cost that would offer much relief for our current buses, trains, cars, trucks, and short flights. With our current earthly population of over 7 billion, growing toward 9 billion, we will be needing much help with our current transporting system. Transit X pods may be the perfect solution for our 21st century transportation network, beyond what the Jestsons sic-fi cartoon offers, by having its autopilot feature and seating from one to five. It would also be a great way to help reduce the rate of climate change.

About three weeks ago, Mike Stanley was here in Central Florida to give a demonstration/talk about Transit X, for Osceola County Commissioner Transportation meeting, Orlando City Commissioner (of District 4) Patty Sheehan, and Orlando City Director of Sustainability Chris Castro. Subsequently, Dave Finnigan gave a two minute presentation to Metropolitan Orlando about Transit X, and also briefed Carolyn Fennell (of Airport Authority), Nicole Liquori (CEO of Sunrail), Eric Johnson (CEO of Lynx), and Laura Kelley (Director of Central Florida Expressway Authority) about Transit X.

Allow me to share a blueprint of the Florida Transit X Way, below:

Florida Transit X (credit: Transit X)

While we anxiously await for the first Transit X pods to be running in MA by the end of 2018, innovators, solar enthusiasts, and potential investors of Central Florida and other parts of the world are strongly encouraged to get in touch with Mike or Dave Stanley, via:

Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,

Below, is a repost from one of our sister publications, Windermere Sun.

(Please click on red links & note magenta)

Pope Francis since March 13, 2013

(Please click on red links & note magenta)

On Wednesday, May 24, 2017, President Trump had the opportunity of meeting the Pope Francis in person, later stating the meeting being “honor of a life time“.

One thing one can say about Trump: he is not rigid. About a year ago, the Pope Francis commented that Candidate Trump’s call to build a wall (instead of a bridge) is not Christian. Trump respond angrily, saying “for a religious leader, to question a person’s faith is disgraceful.” But today, the Pope Francis and President Trump met each other with open hand shake. Pope gave Trump his encyclical, where he makes a passionate case for fighting climate change. At meetings today, the Vatican urged Trump not to drop out of the Paris Accord/Paris Agreement on climate change. President Trump promised to consider Pope’s request and said, “I won’t forget what you said.” Let’s hope that President Trump was truly moved by Pope Francis and will reconsider his position regarding climate change. Thank you, Pope, for being persuasive and helping the planet earth.